Houston’s new Korean-American community group advocates for all immigrants

Woori Juntos is a new organization that advocates for Korean Americans in Houston, who face language access issues and limited community representation. Its founder, Korean American organizer Hyunja Norman, says it’s easy for Houston’s relatively small Korean American community to be overshadowed by other nationalities with larger populations, such as immigrants from Mexico, India and Vietnam. An estimated 1.6 million immigrants live in Greater Houston; just 14,000 of them are Korean, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Norman calls Woori Juntos — which is supported financially by the progressive National Korean American Service and Education Consortium — a “community group advocating (for) our own place in America.” From her office inside the Korean Community Center, Norman wears a blue T-shirt that reads “citizenship for all.” Her hair is cut close to her head — it hasn’t had the chance to grow out since she shaved her hair off as part of a pro-citizenship protest in Washington, D.C. Norman isn’t new to community work. Around seven years ago she said she started registering Korean voters through her church. She’s president of the Korean American Voters League and has fought to improve language access in Harris County for Korean-speaking voters. Now, Norman seeks to build on her community work and advocate for policies that would benefit Koreans in Houston and immigrants from other cultural backgrounds. Norman chose the group’s name — Woori Juntos — to be inclusive of the large Latino population that lives close to its headquarters in Spring Branch. “Woori” means “we’ in Korean, and “Juntos” means “together” in Spanish. We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. Norman has already involved the small but active group in multiple protests advocating for immigrant rights across racial and ethnic lines. At an October rally, Norman played the buk, a Korean drum, while marching with other largely Latino organizations such as FIEL, CRECEN and United We Dream to push Democrats to support a path to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. through budget reconciliation. Path to citizenship: Advocates call for reform outside Harris County Democratic Party headquarters “Without immigrant help, we cannot build back better,” Norman said, emphasizing the labor contributions of unauthorized immigrants of all backgrounds. She said she’s gotten to know many Koreans living here illegally through her community work, people who would benefit from immigration reform. “Woori Juntos is important because it seeks to make Korean Americans more politically visible,” board member Dona Kim Murphey said. “With around 10 to 20 percent of Korean Americans being undocumented in this country, with laws like SB1 specifically targeting our experiences as limited English proficiency voters, and with redistricting to dilute our votes, we must protect our foundational rights,” she said. “If we don’t, no one else will.” According to the Migration Policy Institute, around 5,700 Koreans living in the United States without legal permission are protected from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era protection for people brought in unlawfully as children. Another 32,000 more Koreans are eligible for DACA but won’t be able to access protections, as the government has been blocked from granting protections to new applicants due to a ruling by a federal judge in Texas. DACA Lawsuit: Undocumented youth left in limbo Norman sees advocating for citizenship as an extension of the work she’s done to promote voting among Korean Americans. “Being American means voting,” said Norman, who immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in 1999. But coming out in favor of progressive immigration policies has its drawbacks in her community work. “Citizenship for all” isn’t well-received among a population she works with closely — first-generation Korean seniors, who tend to support Republican candidates. “Seniors, older generation, first generation — they are very conservative,” Norman said. “That is my dilemma.” She acknowledges the irony that she often registers and drives voters to the polls who may cast a ballot for candidates who oppose immigration reform. She also translates candidate information from any political party into Korean for posters and local media so the community can decide for themselves whom to vote for. “It doesn't matter,” she said. “I want to help our people get out the vote.” elizabeth.trovall@chron.com twitter.com/eliztrovall

Houston’s new Korean-American community group advocates for all immigrants

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